Me:
Fuck off my phone with that dumb shit. You terminated our relationship the moment you stuck your dick in another bitch.
Ex-Dumbass:
I miss your body. There are some things Sandra can't do like you.
Me:
Blocked, bitch!
Before I could throw my phone down, it rang, and I realized it was Latrice. I dropped my head back with an annoyed groan. What the hell? Was today the day that the Freemans annoyed the hell out of me?
“Hello, Mrs. Freeman,” I answered, keeping a fake smile on my face so that I sounded happy to hear from her. Lord knows I wasn’t.
“Yeah. Natalie, what are you doing for Lawrence‘s birthday?”
My heart raced as I swiped through my apps until I found the calendar on my phone. I had totally forgotten that his birthday was this weekend. Over the past few years, I had planned a huge celebration for Lawrence’s birth. At the beginning of the month, for his birthday, I went out of my way to throw an extravagant party. It was one overwhelming and stressful experience, but I suffered through it because I thought I was in love. Since we were no longer together, his birthday didn’t cross my mind.
“Oh, Mrs. Freeman, I'm uh making dinner reservations for one of his favorite restaurants downtown.”
“That’s it? A basic dinner? This is going to be Lawerence’s 35th birthday, and the only thing we’re doing is having a dinner party?”
I rolled my eyes and stared up at the ceiling as I stood in the middle of the kitchen. I personally didn’t give a damn what Lawrence was doing for his birthday. Hell, he can take his ass to Chuck E. Cheese for all I cared because it wasn’t my problem. Taking a small breath, I got back into character because I needed to keep up this charade. Plastering on another smile, I told Mrs. Freeman that this is what he would want because of how busy we’ve been.
Latrice huffed out an annoyed breath before she sighed. “I guess you are right. I mean, my baby boy has been doing a lot of work and probably by himself. I know y’all have coworkers, but every time I go into that store, I hardly see any of them. Hell, I never see you there. The only reliable person in that shop is sweet Sandra. She’s so helpful and adorable.”
My eye twitched as I bit back what I wanted to say. I cleared my throat. “Well, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, so sometimes I’m not able to–”
“Anyway, make the reservations and send me all the details once you’re done.” Mrs. Freeman interrupted before she hung up the line.
Going back into the living room, I placed my phone down on the side table as I sat back on the couch. That woman irritated my soul. I didn’t understand how someone could be so mean and nasty to another individual. Now I could understand if I ever did her wrong, but I promise I never have. Every encounter that I've had with that woman, I have been my same self. No matter who I met or was around, I didn’t switch up to impress them. Maybe that’s why she didn’t like me. I refused to kiss her ass and didn't mind challenging her whenever she said or did questionable things.
“So…you have a boyfriend?”
I snapped my head over to Dexter. Disappointment and hurt appeared on his face while he waited for my response.
“No! No, baby, I don’t.”
“You know, the night that I came to the shop when you helped me with my story, I saw you get out of another man’s car. I guess I should’ve known then.”
I sighed. From the outside looking in, it most definitely looked like I had a man, but there was no way that I wanted Lawrence back into my life. Grabbing his hands, I placed them on my chest. “Dexter, I’m telling you the truth. I do not have a boyfriend. I only want to see how things work between you and me. That’s it.”
“So tell me, what’s going on?”
I inhaled a deep breath before I explained what had been happening between Lawrence and me. I told him everything from my previous engagement, L&N, Sandra, and finally the secret agreement Lawrence was paying me to keep. I watched as Dexter's face went through a range of emotions, from hurt to disgust to confusion. I really didn't want to hurt him, but if wewere to pursue this relationship to anything official, he needed to know the truth.
“Let me get this straight,” Dexter said, taking off his glasses. “You’re going to keep helping your ex-fiancé despite the fact that he’s the dumb ass that cheated on you?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous, but it's not that simple.”
“How isn’t it?”
I ran my hand down the side of my face. “I… I don't know.”
“Do you still care about him?”
“Honestly, not anymore. I can admit that I went along with the idea originally because I not only wanted to piss off his mistress, but deep down I had hoped we'd get back together. I thought that our constant communication with one another would have him snapping out of it and trying to win me back. After a while, I quickly learned that he wasn't coming back. However, that realization did not come to either of our families because we were still going along with the lie. The only reason I haven't told the truth is because I’m embarrassed. Our families have been doing everything they can to help prepare for our 'wedding,' and I have been feeling extremely guilty. I’m not doing this to help him, per se. But instead, to save face, I am tired of all the lies, though.”
